Over Her Head
by RedWheeler
Summary: She was just his classmate, scooped up in a whirlwind that was apparently his life with a wistful scream that escaped her mouth a little too willingly. TyHil. Oneshot.


**Note**: I started writing this back in the summer after I had watched V Force all over again; basically what I wanted to do was make a bridge. Hilary gets a lot of grief for how she acts, particularly toward Tyson, but there is a change about midway through the season. This is just my way of explaining it.

**Summary**: She was just his classmate, scooped up in a whirlwind that was apparently his life with a wistful scream that escaped her mouth a little too willingly.

**Pairing**: TyHil, I guess. The very beginning stages, though.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Beyblade.

Over Her Head

It had been a stupid thought.

Plain and simple. And now standing behind him in silence, Hilary couldn't help but ridicule her decision to walk up to him when he was by himself training. She was positive he knew she was there, his shoulders were tensed and his fingers were curled into tight, strained fists down at his side. It was Tyson's usual stature when she was around, to fold himself inward, pushing her away – it wasn't like they were friends or anything.

She was just his classmate who found herself in too deep way too fast; scooped up in the whirlwind that was apparently his life, being pulled along with a wistful scream that escaped her mouth a little too willingly for her tastes. The girl on the sideline that might as well not be there because she had to be told every last detail, the disdain growing on their tongues in her ears, the kind that made her bite back with the same amount of poison she thought she heard. The cheerleader who gawked on at so-called sporting events, her eyes boggling as giants brawled in the sky and her brain racing to register if this was normal or not.

But certainly not his friend, he already had plenty of those. And from what she knew, they were nice ones at that. They were boys that made her proud, constantly surprising her with their unreadable support system; bouncing off of each other when she swore they shouldn't be able to – they were too different, too mismatched.

Just thinking about it made her mind swim, drowning in something that was beyond her imagination. She shouldn't like this life, _his_ life, the unknown that had disguised itself as cloaked figures and questionable allies; making her lie about her safety to her parents, knowing fully well they wouldn't like the thought of her hanging around that much testosterone, let alone the fact that she had almost been killed a few dozen times.

So going out with the _girls_ is what it is, as long as she isn't ripped away from this new world. The place where Hilary, in the depths of her mind, secretly considers them – Kai, Max, Ray, Tyson and even little Kenny – her boys.

And now, having stood behind Tyson for a considerable amount of time, she knew that maybe he hadn't noticed her after all. That or he was ignoring her; either way, his head was bowed down toward the dusty ground of his backyard, supposedly watching Dragoon spin in tight circles.

"Hello, Tyson," Hilary greeted after much procrastination, deciding that maybe she shouldn't doubt what she had to say. Nothing ventured, nothing gained – and this included stupidity, she could always judge herself after he was finished.

The hum of his beyblade spinning picked up for a mere second, throwing it off balance, not to mention course, as it swerved in a larger interval. She cringed before remembering Tyson was somehow connected to his bit beast and that she probably just surprised him.

"Oh, hi. Hilary," Tyson looked back over his shoulder, his voice passive with the acknowledgement. He had this way of lifting his voice just enough to sound thoroughly polite, making her squirm at how much it contradicted the rest of his mannerisms toward her. Yet after this initial welcome, slowly his resolve would break away and he would become loose and vibrant; his words colliding in a mess of clumsy thoughts. "I take it you're ready for New York?"

Hilary resisted the urge to squeal in delight, pumping her fists into the air with true fan girl hysteria; instead she regrouped her bearings on reality, realizing that if she did that she would be back in that circle in the sand, left completely on her own. It was hard to believe she would be leaving Japan this morning for Max's hometown in America, she had never been outside of the country before and the excitement that swelled in her chest was enough to make her feel as if she was about to burst.

"You bet," she allowed herself to reveal, intending to hide her enthusiasm from Tyson. And if it hadn't gone as well as she had planned, the capped boy didn't show a trace of even noticing, his head was still bowed in the direction of his beyblade. "Can you imagine, New York?"

"Well, yeah… actually," he noted strangely, shifting his footing to accommodate facing Dragoon instead of Hilary. "I've been there before. Las Vegas too."

She nodded, recalling that he had been to a lot of places with his team mates already; all over the world while she stayed in one place looking at them in text books. "Must have been pretty amazing," the brunette acknowledged, almost apologetic at forgetting what others murmured about when he passed by – that he was a champion. "You're probably psyched for leaving then, getting back out there."

"It will be a nice break," Tyson admitted, shrugging his shoulders. "Getting away from those lab coated freaks for a bit; no more islands or battle towers…."

"Or cyber bit beasts," she added softly, shuddering at the thought of those mechanical behemoths that seemed to never stop. She heard him grunt in agreement, probably remembering the double of his own great Dragoon destroying the building and almost them along with it. She can still clearly hear her voice shaken with panic as it pierced through the air, his name being called as cement gave in and crushed together, dust brewing before he came racing toward them.

"Man, do we ever need a vacation."

His tone seemed subdued, so she hadn't said anything. Second guessing herself, Hilary glanced over her shoulder to see if anyone else was around, deciding that maybe right now wasn't the best time to bring these kinds of things up. Holding her hands behind her back, she realized they were the only ones that happened to be around and that if she was looking for a distraction, she wouldn't be finding it here.

"Dragoon's not doing too good," Tyson sighed lowly, his voice gripping onto the worry he was trying to hold off. Immediately looking over, the boy was already down on his knee, picking up the 'blade with a preoccupied expression. "Kenny's not around?"

"Packing," she answered, biting her lip unconsciously. "Do you think the damage was from your battle with Kane?" Hilary murmured before she could stop, and she mentally slapped herself for asking such a stupid question.

He pried his eyes away from his beyblade, meeting her gaze with an incredulous stare that almost made her wince. "I thought that was a given," he remarked, although it's not as harsh as it could have been, "Probably just needs a little tune up; a vacation like the rest of us."

"Probably more," she agreed, hoping as well that it wasn't anything serious. "I mean, after a battle like that… the fact that Dragoon is still in one piece is amazing, Tyson. The way you both fought… it was… it was…."

"You saw that?"

She nodded sheepishly, knowing it wasn't long ago that she couldn't see what they did. There had been nothing but spinning tops that did the unthinkable and conversations that went right over her head about some kind of beasts that they apparently saw. "I guess they do like me after all."

Smiling wanly, Tyson decided to hold onto his beyblade instead of pocketing it. "I was just kidding about that, you know. The whole thing is a little hard to explain without sounding… well, insane. Then again, it fits in with everything else in my life, so why not?"

She can't help but agree once again with him, and that feeling was enough to disturb her. Gathering her confidence, she leaned back on the heels of her feet, "That's kind of what I wanted to talk to you about, actually."

Not making a move to hide his reaction, his face twisted in confusion. It was the same face he gave her when she did something that, for the life of him, he couldn't figure out; like when she told Miss Kincaid, their eighth grade teacher, when he hurt his ankle that he would just _love_ a bundle of geometry homework so he didn't fall behind. While it hadn't been the truth, it was better for his health than his much desired chocolate cake. Those were the kinds of things he never noticed, that she wanted what was best for him because she wasn't sure if he would do that for himself.

"What do you mean…?" he said slowly. And she could tell the wheels in his head had been turning, trying to rewind the words that had left his mouth, his eyebrows creased together in deep thought. That was the problem with speaking as soon as things processed in the brain; they're never there long enough to leave an impact. "I thought you got the whole bit beast thing now…."

"I do," Hilary frowned, realizing she hadn't been exactly clear. "Sorta. I think I have the gist of them… what they are and stuff. I'm not a residential expert on them or anything." He snorted at this, crossing his arms in blatant amusement while she scowled. "But that's not what I meant anyway. I've been meaning to ask you something."

"I guess that means I've been meaning to listen…," Tyson sighed again, kicking the ground with his beat up running shoes. He stared at her intently, making her squirm slightly at his intensity.

"Is it always so… dangerous?"

His eyebrows shot up at the question, clearly not being what he expected at all. And by the look in his eyes, Hilary could tell he didn't know how to go about answering, he stood there, looking to Dragoon after a moment. "I'm not sure," Tyson said finally, taken back by how he really didn't seem to know, "I don't think so."

"You don't think so?" she repeated skeptically, not satisfied with his answer. "I don't get it, how can you not know? Was it ever just a game for you?"

"When you put it that way, no," he shook his head with conviction, "It's never been _just_ a game. Even when I didn't have Dragoon it still meant more to me than you can believe."

"When you didn't have Dragoon…," she murmured, never realizing he didn't always have a bit beast. That he had started out like everyone else. "I guess I never thought about it that way before.... I just assumed that you… always had him."

"Nah, he was in a sword," Tyson waved off the thought, getting a distant look in his eye as he craned his neck toward the dojo. Being utterly confused by the statement, she gawked at him trying to figure out his words. Hilary knew it was in her best interest not to question the validity he conveyed; the truth was, even explained with great detail, it would go beyond her. Most things in _his_ world did, as frustrating as that was.

"Everything's just so dangerous," the brunette finally uttered, huffing. "We can't keep getting… attacked. Sooner or later something serious is going to happen, and you know it. Then what are we gonna do?"

Tyson levelled his gaze back at her, his expression clouded. "You don't exactly _have_ to come, Hilary," he told her, finally deciding to put Dragoon away in his pant's pocket. "I know it's dangerous, I'm not an idiot. We – the Bladebreakers, not you – can't just run away, they're not gonna give up. They're gonna follow us. We'll fight them to the end if we have to, and we'll win. But nothing says _you_ have to be there."

Ducking her head down, she held her breath in with a tight gasp. She knew this was true, that he always believed it to be this way – that she really wasn't essential to their team, but there nonetheless. "I-I… know…. It's just that… I thought… maybe…," her words clung together, jumbled up in the desire to be told. "You don't want me there…."

With wide eyes, Tyson had taken a few cautious steps forward, reaching out for her awkwardly. "H-hey… don't cry…. _Please_," he glanced around haphazardly, making sure none of his friends were around. He knew if even one of them saw that he had successfully made her miserable yet again he would be in trouble. "I didn't mean it like that…. I meant if you didn't wanna be around… it was okay…."

She sent him a meaningful glower, turning to sit on the veranda of his home. "The thing is… I do want to be around," she explained, her expression not lighting up in the least. On the other hand, it darkened further as she became more troubled, "I shouldn't, that's the problem. Something bad could happen."

"Something bad could always happen," he pointed out, releasing a sigh that he had been holding onto for some time. "I think… things started getting weird in Europe." Hilary glanced up at him as he gave her a thoughtful look, "Everything was so surreal though, it's hard to tell. I wouldn't exactly call anything normal… not then, especially not now."

"Kenny told me Kai went evil in Russia… was that before or after?"

"After. That's when bit beasts started being stolen courtesy of the Demolition Boys."

She didn't know who they were, like much of their past, so she ended up nodding like usual at a loss for words. And he merely stared back, seeming to be rather passive about the subject and how she was acting. It was almost as if nothing could touch him, that the words that left their mouths really didn't matter.

"Now that Ozuma and the rest of the Saint Shields are after the bit beasts…," Hilary started, placing her hands on her lap, "Do you think they'll follow us?"

"Where? New York? I'm not sure. How would they get there?"

"The same way Mariam got there last time…."

"Oh," Tyson realized, having forgotten the detail that his team mates also had pasts of their own with different members of that team. "I don't know. I guess they could if they wanted to, but… I'm not sure if they would bother. We'll only be there for a little bit anyway, I'm sure they'll just hold off. It's not like anything bad is gonna happen in New York, Max's Mom just has a surprise."

"I hope you're right, I have a bad feeling…."

Raising an eyebrow, he placed his hands behind his head. "We haven't let anything bad happen to you yet, Hil. Think about it, danger comes in different forms… there's no way you can run away from all of them. If you spend your life avoiding things you won't get to experience anything," he smiled softly, utterly confusing her. "And if there's anything I have, it's experience."

He had used that word again. _Hil_. She didn't know what to make of it; he had been using it recently. It had blindsided her during their time within the Psykick's tower, making her stare at him as if he had grown another head; one that was apparently more courteous toward her. But at the time she kept her mouth shut, knowing it wasn't the place and they had greater things at hand to deal with instead of her paranoid insecurities.

"I… suppose."

"We'll try to tone down the drama, okay?" he offered, letting his head fall back as he searched the sky. "You wouldn't wanna bail out on New York, would you?"

"No," Hilary blurted out, forgetting her reserve for a moment. This made Tyson laugh and she soon blushed at her sudden spasm. "I mean… of course not. I've heard Max talk about his Mom, she sounds really amazing."

The boy rolled his eyes, sighing at the thought of his friend. "Yeah, that's him. I guess they're pretty close… like not embarrassed to hug in public close." He pulled a face, obviously not to keen about the idea.

"You're such a guy."

"What does that make Max then?"

"Sensitive."

"Boy, do I feel bad for him…."

Hilary rolled her eyes at his childish ways; hearing the distant voices of their other team mates somewhere near the front of the dojo. The pair's eyes met for a moment, Tyson seeming thoughtful once again as he took in the space between them with a considerate sigh. The brunette meekly smiled, "Sounds like we're all ready to go. You should really show Dragoon to Kenny, he'll know how to fix him up. He'll be up and spinning in no time." She stepped backward slowly, not wanting his pity or forced security. She could deal with not being his friend.

"You know… things have gotten bad before. Bad enough I'm sure anyone else would have left in a second; not even the craziest fan would want to be put through what you've been through with us. We were almost blown up on an island for crying out loud! But you Hilary, you were at my house the very next day."

"Hospital."

"What?"

"You were at the hospital because of your ankle. Remember?"

"That's even better! Any one of us could have gotten hurt like that, even you. But you don't care about stuff like that… and I _get_ why that scares you. I know it should, but it doesn't make a difference when I know I have to do something," Tyson exclaimed, tightening his fingers into fists. "And I know it sounds weird, but if I don't 'blade – that silly little top game – people could get hurt."

She winced at her words from days before she had entered their world by accident. How far she had been off on what he was so concentrated on – it really wasn't a game, but a conspiracy that just touched her fingertips, a shock that sprang down her spine with an overwhelming amount of anticipation. "I never meant…."

"It's all in the past," he waved her off with a shake of his head. "You're still here for one reason… and it's because you care about us. I mean, that's the only reason I can think of. For some strange reason you want to make sure we're okay… and I kinda wish we had that the last time around."

Hilary was awestruck, and the boldness the boy in front of her had just conveyed only allowed her to stare back in pure incredulity. He knew. He knew she watched their matches with her nails piercing her palms as she made her own theatrical fists down at her side; that she clenched her jaw tightly every time they were physically thrown back with every slam; that she prayed in the depth of her mind that they'll get up one more time after smashing their heads against the ground to only dust themselves off. He knew all too well what she had been trying to hide.

They were her boys, and they meant more to her than she could have ever imagined.

"We should be going…." She decided finally, making him nod in agreement. She returned the gesture with a smile, knowing they were acknowledging that wistful scream that just dallied on her vocal chords as if it was simplicity. "New York, here I come!" Hilary shouted for good measure, making Tyson laugh.

"By the way, I've saved you before," the capped boy reminded her, walking beside the brunette to meet up with their friends. He smirked, "Don't put it pass me, I'll save you again if I have to. Nobody wants to be a pancake that smells like dead fish."

"Isn't that the truth?" Hilary sighed, remembering the very incident that swept her into his life; it came in the form of two men adorned in black kidnapping both her and Kenny just to play a game with Tyson she believed to be silly. She then gave him a guilty look that made him confused, "I appreciate… everything, Tyson. Thank you."

Her head bowed down briefly, causing his expression to relent into something she had never seen before. His smile was soft and his gaze turned sheepish as he titled his own head back in the air to see the sky above. Hilary cocked an eyebrow at his behaviour, seemingly quiet in response to her appreciation. For the first time in her life she managed to silence Tyson Granger for some time as they approached the foyer in a matched pace. He cleared his throat in finality, sincerity written now in the depth of his eyes.

"What are friends for?"


End file.
